Plug,Patch or New Tire

[Trip]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

Ok I checked just about EVERY motorcycle tire website and they all aprove the interior patching of their tires. Most want you to use a plug patch but all agree that the repair must be performed from the inside. They have different provisos,ie; tread depth,location of puncture,size of puncture,etc. In my mind that says it's ok to patch a tire cause you know they all have teams of lawyers who wouldn't allow them to ok repairs of any kind if it wasn't 110% ok. Ofcourse a couple of them grouse about speed, qualified repair facility, etc.

The thing I love the most was the parts guy at the local dealership telling me that he LOVES guys like you 'cause he hasn't purchased a rear tire in YEARS. He just gets the tires you guys bring in with a flat and runs them down to the tire shop down the street (where I went)and has them repaired($5 off the rim). He told me that he's literally gotten tires with less than 200 miles on them.

I piss them off because no matter how old my tire is, I always demand it back. I don't let the stealerships keep anything. I don't use stealerships anymore anyway though. Either do the work myself or have a buddy who was a mechanic at a stealership do it for me if it is over my head.

[Rider]

New tire... All of the plugs I've seen before protrude through the tire leave a small bump on the surface of the tire. It's unsafe. I guarantee the plug is not the same compound of the tire and will wear differently. A small patch on the inside of the tire might be ok though.

[OneSickPsycho]

I need to find a place to patch my tire... Fucking nail right in the middle of the tread.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by z06boy

I've always wondered about this too...I definitely see both sides of it but have never plugged a motorcycle tire "just in case".

Having said this...the R6 that my wife rides got a nail in it with only 800 miles on it. Since it was her bike I didn't want to take any chances so we bought a new tire.

Soooo....

For Sale...one... 180 x 55 x 17 Dunlop Qualifier 800 miles...no wheelies...no burnouts...fat chicken strips (new rider) with one small pin hole.

All resonable offers considered.

Seriously,I'll pay shipping if you want to send it to me. Pm me and I'll give you my address and you can send it COD for the cost of shipping.

[m0n1]

About 350 miles on my rear tire I got a screw. Sprayed some soapy water on it and saw tiny bubbles. Called the dealer, they said the would be able to patch it depending on where its at but they don’t recommend a patch on street bike tires.

Most of threads I’ve read say it should be ok if done correctly. But the question that made me buy a new tire is “would you trust your life to a patch?”

[z06boy]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

Seriously,I'll pay shipping if you want to send it to me. Pm me and I'll give you my address and you can send it COD for the cost of shipping.

I may do that if I don't use it for "garage wall art" or decide to use it for a "burnout tire".

I admit I probably won't use it because it's too small for my R1 and with the wife being a new rider I'm not taking a chance of putting it on her bike.

I'll kick the idea around though.

[dReWpY]

your r1 has what sized rim? if your used to running a 190/50 you should try the 180/55, big difference on the turn in compared to the 190

[6doublefive321]

I would plug if the damage wasn't close to the sidewall. I don't see any problem with a plug / patch combo.

I would NEVER use slime, or any other "Fix a flat" in any type of vehicle that I gave a fuck about.

[fnfalman]

Plug, patch or replace?

I don't know about plugging a flat tire, but I usually prefer patching and the patches work great, assuming that the hole is at an area where it can be patched.

When I hit the road, I usually carry a couple cans of fix-it-flat that Motul makes for motorcycles. I've used them a couple of times to get me to where I was going and then have the shop patch the tires up from the inside.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by Rider

New tire... All of the plugs I've seen before protrude through the tire leave a small bump on the surface of the tire. It's unsafe. I guarantee the plug is not the same compound of the tire and will wear differently. A small patch on the inside of the tire might be ok though.

See this is what I love and hate about you guys. Facts don't matter at all. I could post the repair info from all six of the tire sites I looked at last night and you still would argue! Oh and I don't think you've ever used a plug because that "bump" goes away in a few miles. Plus,using a "compound difference" as a reason is laffable as we're talking about an 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch of surface area here,usually in the center area of the tire. I don't think traction is going to be an issue...

Anyway,I honestly respect everyone's right to make this decision for themselves and I'm not trying to force anyone into patching their tires. Just giving the facts,pure and simple. As a side note, if all you guys who won't patch newer tires would send them to me I'll pay shipping. Pm me,I'm serious.